, an eminent patron of literature, was born at Rouen in 1626, of
, an eminent patron of literature, was born at Rouen in 1626, of an ancient family,
and having no inclination to rise in the offices of magistracy, as many of his ancestors had done, nor to enter
into the church, he determined to devote his time and
fortune to the study and advancement of polite literature.
His father, dean of the court of aids in Normandy, left
him a library of six thousand volumes, including upwards
of five hundred manuscripts, to which he made so many
additions, that at his death it was valued at forty thousand
franks and that it might not be scattered, he entailed it
on his family, with handsome funds for the support and
enlargement of it. It was, however, sold in July 1706,
and the catalogue, which was printed, is in considerable
request among bibliographers. During his life-time this
library was the resort of a number of men of letters, who
held frequent meetings here, in which Bigot presided.
His travels in Holland, England, Germany, and Italy, procured him the acquaintance and correspondence of most of
the literati of Europe, who frequently consulted him, and
paid great regard to his opinions. His sole passion was to
contribute by his wealth and studies to the perfection and
illustration of the best Greek and Latin authors, and he
employed these advantages with the utmost liberality and
modesty. Having discovered in the library at Florence,
the Greek text of the “Life of St. Chrysostom by Palladius, he published it at Paris in 1680, 4to, with some
other ancient Greek remains, hitherto in manuscript, the
whole accompanied with a Latin translation by Ambrose of
Camaldoli. To this he added St. Chrysostom’s epistle to
Cesarius, but it being discovered that this was an attack
on the doctrine of transubstantiation, the licensers refused
its being published, and caused the leaves on which it was
printed to be cut out. A copy of these leaves, however,
having fallen into the hands of Mr. (afterwards archbishop)
Wake, was published by him in his
” Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against
the exceptions of M. de Meaux, &c.“Lond. 1686, 4to.
In this Wake has given a curious account not only of the
suppression of this letter, but of the controversy to which
it gave rise in archbishop Cranmer’s time. Du Pin says,
that after Bigot’s death, some of his literary correspondence
was published but this appears a mistake, if we except a
letter of his written, in 1672, to the bishop of Trulle
against the abbé de St. Cyran’s book
” Le Cas Royal," and
printed at Basil in 1690. Menage and Heinsius were
among his most intimate friends, and such was his general
knowledge and communicative disposition, that he was
consulted by every one fond of literary history and anecdote. He died Oct. 18, 1689.
, an eminent patron of literature, was born at Palermo, and in his
, an eminent patron of literature, was born at Palermo, and in his
youth distinguished himself in the literary court of Leo X.
Clement VII. appointed him bishop of Verona at an early
age; but as he was long resident at Rome, or employed
on missions of the highest importance at the ecclesiastical
state, Caraffi, who was afterwards Paul IV. was deputed
to manage the concerns of his bishopric. At length, in
the pontificate of Paul III. Gibertus returned to his diocese, where his public and private virtues rendered him an
ornament to his station. His palace was always open to
men of learning, whether Italians or strangers; and a considerable part of his great revenues was munificently employed in the encouragement of letters. He was a liberal
patron of Greek literature, and had new Greek types cast
at his own expence. He also employed under his roof,
a number of persons in transcribing Mss. and defrayed the
charge of publishing several excellent editions of the works
of the Greek fathers, particularly a beautiful edition of
Chrysostom’s Homilies on the epistles of St. Paul. He died
Dec. 30, 1543. His works, with his life, were published
at Verona, 1733. He is deservedly celebrated in the
“Galateo
” of Casa, and is the subject of the poem of
Bembus, entitled “Benacus
” and various other contemporary poets have paid him the tribute of praise which he
so well merited; nor is it small praise that he was the firm
opponent of Peter Aretin, and used all h.is efforts to strip
the mask from that shameless impostor.
, an eminent patron of literature, was born at Lyons in 1479; and
, an eminent patron of literature,
was born at Lyons in 1479; and very early displayed a
propensity towards those elegant and solid pursuits, which
afterwards secured him the admiration and esteem of his
contemporaries. His address was easy, his manners were
frank, yet polished; his demeanour was engaging, and his
liberality knew no bounds. As he advanced in years, he
advanced in reputation; enjoying a princely fortune, the
result, in some measure, of a faithful and honourable discharge of the important diplomatic situations which he
filled. He was grand treasurer to Francis I. and ambassador from that monarch to pope Clement VII. During his
abode at Rome he employed the Alduses to print for him
an edition of Terence in 1521, 8vo, and another of Budaeus’s work “De Asse,
” I dined
along with Aldus, his son Manutius, and other learned men
at Grollier’s table. After dinner, and just as the dessert
had been placed on the table, our host presented each of
his guests with a pair of gloves filled with ducats.
” De
Thou speaks very highly of his character. During his travels he had secured from Basil, Venice, and Rome, the
most precious copies of books that could be purchased,
which he bound in a peculiar style, described in our authority. Every library and every scholar has boasted of a
book from Grollier’s library since it was dispersed, and
during his life-time it was his pride to accommodate his
friends with the use of them. He died at Paris in 1565.